


Fashion Icons

by xo_thefirst



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, M/M, Multi, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-08
Updated: 2019-01-08
Packaged: 2019-10-06 17:44:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17349701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xo_thefirst/pseuds/xo_thefirst
Summary: Jongin and Seulgi are in the most coveted (non-romantic) relationship the world has ever seen... until Jongin and Sehun became the next big thing.





	Fashion Icons

_Rumors of Jongin and Seulgi’s romance blooms again when Seulgi is spotted wearing, what appears to be, an engagement ring. Jongin has been seen wearing a similar silver band as a necklace for the past four months. Is this a sign that they have actually tied the knot?_

Eleven.

Jongin has seen _eleven_ magazines—all with the same headline _Jongin and Seulgi: MARRIED?!_ —within the past three days. It’s a little ridiculous in his book, but he guesses it can’t be helped when he and Seulgi model under the same agency and almost _always_ attends the same events together. They’re practically asking the world for their acceptance of their relationship, except they’re not even dating. They’re not even remotely romantically attracted to one another and he’s pretty sure being romantically attracted to someone he’s supposed to marry should be a big factor in his relationships, past, present, and future.

He sighs, as he reads the article this time. It details their start into the modeling industry, Jongin entering before Seulgi, and how the world fell in love at first sight when they stepped into the scene. It’s been eight years at least and the world is still in love with them. He supposes it’s a good thing, considering how many younger models are being brought into the light, and he supposes it’s a good thing he’s in this together with a friend he holds dear, but he still sighs and shakes his head at it.

“One day, the world will know,” Minseok would always tell him. His manager is ever kind, ever strict, and Jongin clings to him whenever he feels lost. He’s the older brother he never had and Jongin still throws pouts in his direction when he pulls the, “Oh, come on. The world can’t keep betting on you two getting married and having kids forever. They’re going to move onto the next big thing.”

And honestly, Jongin wishes the world would move on faster. This article has been written and rewritten five hundred different ways, but it always makes the front cover. All these magazines have millions of pictures of him and Seulgi saved and he can’t even remember when this specific photo has been taken, but it must be recent because Seulgi has blonde hair. She just dyed her hair a month ago.

“You’re shaking your head and sighing a lot. I take it you’ve seen the newest headline for today.” Jongin tosses the magazine on the coffee table, now scowling at it, before he looks over his shoulder and sees Seulgi smiling at him. “You can’t be that mad. We actually look good together.”

“Of course we look good together,” Jongin mutters, eyeing the stack of magazines in her arms. “We’re not two of the most sought models in the industry, after all. What are those?”

At that, Seulgi shrugs. She walks over to deposit the magazines in a spot next to the one on the coffee table and they’re all exact copies of the same thing. “Joohyun brought this to me this morning.” She flips through the top magazine absently. “She didn’t have to go and buy me an actual ring,” she murmurs, and Jongin sighs. He reaches out to tug her to him. He laughs when Seulgi dodges his lap last minute and sits in the empty spot next to him on the couch.

“She seems more traditional that way,” Jongin says, looping an arm around Seulgi’s shoulders and letting her rest her head on his shoulder. “Besides, I know you’ve been eyeing that ring.”

There’s a moment of silence where Jongin guesses Seulgi is pouting. They’ve been friends for so long; he’s pretty sure their mannerisms have copied into each other’s by now. “It’s the one I’ve wanted,” she acquiesces. She’s quiet and Jongin knows something is wrong. “But she’s starting to distance herself from me, probably because she doesn’t want anybody finding out about our relationship yet.”

“Ah,” Jongin slips. He sits there with her, unmutes the television in front of them, and watches as the news switches to something about the weather. He doesn’t pay much attention to it, but he usually doesn’t have to when he’s at work. At this point, they’re both just waiting until their scheduled time for their next photoshoot together. He hums. “How many shoots have we done together already?”

Seulgi mimics his hum. “Since the beginning of time? Or a more specific type?”

Jongin chuckles, “I was thinking about since the beginning of our careers.”

“That’s still too many to count.”

“No wonder the country loves us.”

“Yeah.”

 

Sehun

> I really want pizza.

Jongin

> We both know we can’t have pizza.

Sehun

> Yeah, but when was the last time we had a break?

Jongin

> Together? Three weeks ago.

Sehun

> Three weeks is too long.  
>  I can’t believe the world is still waiting for you and Seulgi to confirm your non-existent heavily romantic relationship.

Jongin laughs hard at that. He laughs so hard, he accidentally smacks Seulgi on the shoulder for it, earning him a smack back. “Ow.” Though, he doesn’t stop laughing and he earns curious looks from both their managers who are talking to the photographer of this shoot.

“You look like you’re glowing and it’s disgusting,” Seulgi murmurs. But when Jongin looks to her, there’s a soft smile on her face. “Tell Sehun I said hi.”

Jongin

> Seulgi says hi.

Sehun

> Sehun says hi.

Jongin snorts, “He says hi.” He catches sight of Minseok coming towards them, so he straightens in his seat and drops his cell phone into his lap. He sees it light up with a new message, but he ignores it for the moment when he sees Minseok wave over the makeup stylist.

“One more change,” his manager explains, instructing Seulgi’s makeup artist to do the same. “And then we’re done for the day.”

“Except you and I have another schedule to attend later,” Joohyun adds on, earning a quiet groan from Seulgi. “It won’t take long.”

“Every time you say that, we end up at some fancy dinner with some fancy people that’ll last a good fancy three hours.”

Jongin can’t help but groan at that, too. He remembers the fancy dinners and the fancy events—one just happened the day before—and he definitely understands the struggle of their job and their responsibilities for it. He always wonders what would’ve happened if he didn’t accept that offer to audition, or accept that offer to join the company, but then he remembers to take a good look around him, at all the people he has met so far thanks to this job, and he, simply, remembers. He reaches out and grabs Seulgi’s hand, like a child, and just like that, it seems to remind his friend too. She sighs softly and the makeup artists get to work.

 

 

“You know, the more I talk to Seulgi, the more she reminds me of you.”

Jongin has barely closed the door behind him before he hears Minseok’s annoyed groan and there’s a head of hair in his face with arms wrapped around his waist. The body attached to him is warm and he isn’t so surprised anymore when he feels soft lips gently touch against his neck as a ‘welcome home’ kiss.

“Junmyeon already left?” Minseok calls out.

“He went to go get more _Subway_. You know him.”

Minseok groans again and Jongin has to laugh when those soft lips move to attack his own. He smiles into the kiss, because he hasn’t seen Sehun in four days and he’s missed his hugs and kisses. He has to take in a deep breath when they separate, finally focus in on crescent eyes and pink lips. “How was your trip?” he asks quietly, smiling when he feels Sehun untuck the back of his shirt to wrap around his hands to hold. “Not jetlagged?”

Sehun hums, glancing to the corner of… Jongin’s head? “I took a nap before you came home,” he answers, and then he blows. Jongin scrunches his face at the gust of air, smelling mint, but then a hand unwraps itself from his shirt and is touching his forehead next. “Oh, it’s makeup. I thought it was a stray piece of glitter.”

“Oh,” Jongin says, letting Sehun do his thing, before they separate. “Yeah, had an extra shoot to do with Seulgi.” He follows after Sehun into the living room, where it looks like he’s made his little nest currently on their couch, and Jongin’s heart warms the slightest of the thought that this couch is _theirs_ —technically, because they actually went out and bought it together, even though it currently resides in Jongin’s apartment.

“Yeah, Seulgi told me. I had asked if she wanted to go eat something together because I thought you had an event tonight, but I got your schedules mixed up. Apparently, she has the event tonight.”

“Actually, you’re not wrong,” Minseok suddenly calls out. It sounds like he’s in the kitchen now. “Jongin had the event, but we had all the schedules rearranged so Seulgi would go instead.”

Jongin immediately looks to the direction of the kitchen before he pulls out his cell phone and checks his calendar. There were no mentions of him having another event scheduled for tonight, or tomorrow night for that matter, and he doesn’t remember ever talking about anything happening tonight either. He looks to Sehun next who’s staring at him, and then shrugs. “Minseok,” he calls back, “What are you—”

“I didn’t tell you because we were wondering if another article about you and Seulgi would surface again,” Minseok explains. “Seulgi needs to go because she’s the primary ambassador, but we don’t need both of you going only to heat things up with the media.”

Sehun rolls his eyes at his words and Jongin laughs at his reaction.

“But then again, nobody needs to know that you two have no romantic interest in each other whatsoever because you two are dating and or possibly engaged to someone else. Joohyun never likes talking about her personal life, but I’m pretty sure she and Seulgi are engaged now,” Minseok continues on.

Jongin keeps watching Sehun for his reactions. Neither of them get jealous any more, not when they’ve talked about this one time too many and have actually attended events at the same time, but it’s fun to see the annoyance play out on Sehun’s face. His expressions are extreme most of the time and Jongin doesn’t think he can compare with trying to match it. Plus, Sehun and Seulgi have actually been friends longer than Jongin and Seulgi, and that probably helps more in the long run than anything else.

Although, sometimes Jongin does wonder if the whole jealousy and his amusement of it is healthy. It probably isn’t. He needs to work on it.

“Sehun,” Jongin calls, frowning before he even realizes it. The expression on Sehun’s face instantly turns into one of concern and confusion. “Are you—”

“Jongin, dinner is ready!” Minseok suddenly calls out. He even pops his head out to see them and he’s giving Jongin The Look. “Eat before it gets real late.”

Without even realizing, Jongin sighs. He turns to Sehun, who just shrugs and smiles at him. “I’m staying the night anyways,” he says with what’s supposed to be a wink. And surprisingly, that makes Jongin feel better about the entire thing.

 

 

Seulgi

> please help me  
>  there’s too much going on  
>  joohyun told me you were supposed to be here with me  
>  why the hell are you not  
>  is sehun with you  
>  are you two doing the nasty  
>  oh i should’ve said *****  
>  everything about our lives should be a secret :*

“Wow,” Sehun drawls. It pulls Jongin’s attention away from the book he’s reading. He’s curled up in bed with his side table light on and he looks over his shoulder to where Sehun was playing a game on his phone. “Seulgi seems like she’s dying over there,” he informs.

Jongin raises an eyebrow at that before he looks around the room for a clock. “It’s still going on?” he asks before he sees the time. He whistles. It’s lasting longer than three hours. “I’m glad I didn’t go then.”

“Savage,” Sehun comments, laughing. “I’m gonna text her that.”

Jongin only shakes his head before he goes back to his book. He hears his phone ding a second later before he hears Sehun’s snickers and then he’s lost in the novel in front of him.

He doesn’t even realize an hour has passed before he feels Sehun reaching over him to put his cell phone on the wireless charger next to him on the bed. He hums at feeling Sehun’s kiss on his shoulder before he tilts his head to kiss Sehun goodnight, and he pauses in his movements when Sehun nudges his nose against his chin.

“Minseok texted you saying you had an event this weekend,” he says quietly. There’s a soft frown to his face. Jongin instantly places his book facedown on the table to save his spot and turn to give Sehun his full attention. “I have a schedule, too,” he elaborates. He sighs, and then collapses on top of him, “Oof.” “I want a real vacation,” he whines. He face is buried somewhere between Jongin’s chest and the bed and the vibrations make Jongin smile.

“Hey, take all the time we can get together, right?” Jongin reminds him. He turns so Sehun can comfortably lie on top of him and he doesn’t hesitate to wrap an arm around his waist, card fingers through his hair. “Besides, I can always go to your place tomorrow night instead. It doesn’t matter.”

“You say that only because we live down the hall from each other.”

Jongin laughs, “I mean it’s true, isn’t it?”

Sehun grunts, “Well, you aren’t wrong.”

They have a king-sized bed, but they’re lying together like they only have a twin. They barely take up the entire space of the mattress, but it’s more for luxury and comfort. Jongin knows Sehun likes his space, and so does he, but when they have moments like these, Jongin doesn’t understand it. “What else did Minseok say?” he asks. He’s too lazy to check his phone now, especially with Sehun lying on top of him.

“That he’d come by around five to leave at six. Event starts at seven and ends whenever the host decides it ends.” Sehun pouts—Jongin can feel it against his ribcage. “I hate those types of events. I think I’m going to a similar one tomorrow. Junmyeon didn’t say much.”

Jongin hums in response. He wonders if it’s a sponsored event and if he’s supposed to represent a certain brand. His contract with his current one is ending and there have been plenty of offers, but he and Minseok still haven’t decided if they were going to stay with his current one or move on to a different one. It probably is a schedule where he has to wear a certain brand. Maybe, it’s Gucci. “I’ll check the messages tomorrow,” he settles with, feeling his eyelids start to droop closed. He can feel Sehun’s breathing start to even too. “It won’t be too bad. They should have drinks we can consume to our hearts’ content. They always do.”

All he hears is Sehun’s soft hum, sleepy and quiet. Jongin tries to reach out to turn off the side lamp, but he ends up jostling Sehun the littlest bit with him. His boyfriend doesn’t move, so Jongin guesses that’s a good sign.

“Goodnight, Sehun,” he murmurs, wondering if he’s going to get a response. But with an arm wrapped around Sehun’s waist and his other arm stretched out on the rest of the mattress next to him, Jongin falls asleep to Sehun’s soft snores before he can even think of receiving a response.

 

 

Contrary to popular belief, celebrities aren’t on their phones twenty-four seven. They’re always being herded to the next event, the next stylist chair, or they’re trying to eat and sleep at the same time. Sometimes, they have to do more than that—read and memorize scripts, memorize names and faces of important people they’re going to meet, figure out _who_ is more important than the other because this is what this world is—and Jongin gets tired of it.

He tries to check his phone when he can, knows Sehun is doing the same, but they’re both busy with upcoming events. Sometimes, they can spend all the time in the world together but recently, with Sehun’s brand new status as ambassador for Louis Vuitton, it seems like they barely have time to text each other ‘hi’ and ‘how is your day so far?’

Although, if Jongin really thinks about it, it’s not their careers’ or their fault. They both signed up for this and they both signed up to keep their relationship a secret from the public. They both agreed to allow the world to keep thinking Jongin and Seulgi are secretly together and they both agreed to allow Sehun to keep his bachelor status because he somehow appears ‘aloof’ in all televised interviews he’s done. He’s gorgeous, young, and rich. It helps his appeal and Jongin always smiles because of it. Sehun’s face is truly one-of-a-kind.

“Last call for flight to Paris, France—”

Jongin looks up from his cell phone, where he’s been sending a monologue of text messages for Sehun to wake up to, and looks over to see Minseok still sitting there staring at his own phone too. He frowns at him before looking down to his plane ticket. “Isn’t that our flight?” he asks. He glances back up at the monitor above the gate to double check the numbers and he frowns harder. “Minseok.”

“What?” his manager breathes, looking up as well. “Shit.”

Within seconds, they’re boarding the plane and Jongin watches as Minseok leads them to their seats in business class. It’s the only two seats left and Jongin can’t stop staring at his manager as they settle down and get glasses of wine as a complimentary drink. Apparently, he doesn’t stop until Minseok waves him off and he pouts instead.

They listen to the stewardesses and pilot talk about safety and what to do in emergencies. It’s the same thing over and over again and Jongin eventually drones them out, stares at the television monitor where they’ve paused a movie for them to watch on the connecting flight. This will be his fourth trip back to Paris for a fashion show and his third to represent Gucci again. He doesn’t even know what his outfit is going to be yet.

It’s when they’re taking off and Minseok’s grabbing his hand because he hates the take-off and landing that his manager finally breathes out what he’s been dealing with for the past hour.

“There might be a slight change of plans about this fashion show.” His knuckles are turning white and Jongin is a little more concerned about his manager’s health than his career. “We’ll have to wait and see how the articles turn out after this weekend and then rearrange your schedules accordingly.”

Jongin barely catches the rest of his words but when it replays in his head, he’s only more confused. “What?”

Minseok attempts to take another swig of his wine and Jongin holds his own glass for his manager to take whenever he’s done. “The companies finally found out about your relationship and now they want to test the public with it by sending both you and Sehun to the same fashion show to see what you two would do together in public and I don’t know how it’s going to work out because I thought Seulgi was joining the show a day late but Joohyun said their schedule for this got canceled and I think I need more alcohol than wine, maybe I need cheap beer or maybe whiskey, where’s Baekhyun when I need him what—”

Before Minseok runs out of air and passes out, Jongin clamps a hand over his mouth and holds his hand up to grab a stewardess’s attention. He removes his hand before she arrives and he simply tells her, “one whiskey on the rocks, please,” before he returns his attention to his manager.

Minseok appears less frantic but his breathing still looks uneven. Though, Jongin guesses it’ll get better once they remain leveled in the sky since it feels like they keep turning this way and that to better approach their destination.

He waits until Minseok has drunk half of the alcohol before he tackles the next problem. He replays the words in his head. His and Sehun’s companies have finally found out about their secret—maybe not-so-secret—relationship. Their companies want to test how their relationship will go with the public, thereby basically telling the world he and Seulgi are truly not in a romantic relationship, and they want to see what would happen within a week’s time and if they need to lie low or they can go full-force public and actually join events together.

“I don’t know what to do,” Minseok eventually breathes out. “It’s not like I’m the one in a relationship that could jeopardize my career, but you are like a little brother to me and we both know we like our privacy with our personal lives.” He finishes his glass before he asks for another one. “I didn’t know how to tell you, but I was also trying to figure it out with Baekhyun and Junmyeon because Baekhyun is a wonderful colleague but Junmyeon is also stressing out about this and I think I’ve aged ten years.”

At that, Jongin laughs. He smiles when Minseok gives him a withering glare, but then he can see his manager practically deflate the longer he smiles at him. He reaches out to grab onto Minseok’s hand. “You still look barely over twenty-five,” he comments. “According to the entire world, they still can’t believe my manager is actually over thirty instead.” He waits until he sees a small smile form on Minseok’s lips. “Anyways, I know we both like privacy, but I also knew this day would come. I’m pretty sure Sehun knew it’d eventually happen too if we continued to date. He hasn’t broken up with me yet, and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t plan on it anytime soon.” Of course, there are doubts in his mind about it, but Sehun has always been loyal and open with communication. It’s hard to not figure out his opinions and feelings on most subjects.

He squeezes Minseok’s hand before letting go. “Besides, if this entire event goes in our favor, it might end up being beneficial to both of us in the end.” He shrugs then, grabbing Minseok’s new glass of whiskey from the stewardess before taking a small sip for himself first. Wow, that’s bitter. “Don’t worry too much about it. Just forward me everything and let me deal with the repercussions.” He flinches when he feels a hand land on his arm.

“How did I get so lucky?” Minseok breathes out, almost in awe, before he’s consistently tugging on his arm. “Now, give me my drink. I need ten more of these to get rid of the nerves completely.”

Jongin can barely give him the glass with how much shaking his manager is doing, but then he starts laughing when he remembers the other time Minseok drank to his heart’s content on an airplane and he ended up drunk out of his mind when they finally landed. Reporters had a field-day seeing Minseok clinging onto Jongin and wondering if they were in a secret relationship instead.

“Only drink seven more glasses,” Jongin chastises lightly, laughing when Minseok gives him a playful glare. “It’ll be okay.”

Minseok gives him a thumbs-up, and Jongin wonders if it’ll really be okay.

 

 

The first night in Paris is spent admiring the Eiffel Tower with his manager. They eat at some small cafe where a few fans end up finding him and not-so-sneakily taking pictures of him as they eat. He tries to ignore them to focus on his conversation with Minseok, but it’s hard when one of them accidentally leaves their flash on and it blinds both of them for a good minute. They’re gone before he can even turn to them and say something and he has to sigh in defeat before simply looking to his own phone where Sehun’s left him a few messages of his own.

Sehun

> I’m boarding the plane now.  
>  Junmyeon told me everything.  
>  I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen. But I hope it’ll turn out okay.

Jongin didn’t see the messages in time before Sehun had to turn his phone off, so now he’s stuck wondering what will happen because Sehun in Paris at the same time as him should be romantic. It should be wonderful, but Jongin isn’t entirely sure he can breathe any easier until they both know it’ll be okay in the end. He’s pretty sure he can find another job if he has to quit being a model. It shouldn’t be hard at all, but then he’ll probably lose all the connections he’s made since he became one and he doesn’t want that to happen. He absentmindedly taps his foot on top of Minseok’s underneath the table.

“Oh, more fans have noticed our presence,” Minseok mumbles. He isn’t glancing to wherever they are, but he slightly tilts his head to one side and Jongin intentionally looks to the opposite side to try and avoid more pictures. “Maybe we should hurry up and get back to the hotel. I’ll go back out and buy more food after I change clothes and put on a hat.”

Jongin immediately looks back to Minseok at that. He tries not to frown, but he’s never liked his manager doing that for him. “We can go stop by another place and order more food before going back,” he offers, glancing over to the side and directly staring at the fans. He tries to keep his face neutral, but staring at them is enough for them to jump and scatter. “I can always go up to them directly. None of my fans seem to handle my direct attention well.”

At that, Minseok snorts. “Remember that one photographer who fell after you stared at him?”

“Oh, that was at some opening in London, wasn’t it? Or someplace else?” Jongin asks. He glances around their surroundings and is pleased to see no one else is paying them any attention. He snorts at the memory himself. “I didn’t believe you until I saw the video of it myself. That’s still kinda embarrassing.”

“For you or for the photographer?”

Jongin shrugs. He can feel the heat creep up on his ears and cheeks. “Me,” he admits, and then he feels Minseok tap his feet with his own.

“When you’re done, let’s go. We should turn in early for the night to get ready for tomorrow.”

Jongin simply nods before he finishes the rest of his meal. “I’m surprised you aren’t as drunk as I thought you’d be.”

Minseok frowns. “You capped me at five glasses.”

“I’m only looking out for your health,” Jongin lightly sings. He laughs when Minseok lightly kicks him on the shin.

It’s a good thing he always wears pants when he models.

 

 

It’s eleven forty-three in the morning when Jongin finds out he and Sehun are in different hotels. It’s eleven fifty-one in the morning when Jongin finds out he’s wearing one of Gucci’s newest outfits to the show that night. It’s noon when Jongin finds out Sehun is wearing one of Louis Vuitton’s best suits to the show. Consequently, it’s a minute after twelve when Jongin finds out Sehun looks really good in that suit, especially with his tie undone and shirt partially buttoned.

Jongin pouts at his cell phone screen, “Why aren’t you here?” Sehun’s phone is propped up against something, so all Jongin can see is part of the bathroom and Sehun’s hip. It really isn’t much but when they’re already so close together _in a different country_ , it’s something else entirely. “What are you doing? Why aren’t you ready yet?”

Jongin is amused when Sehun suddenly shows his face in the camera.

“Excuse you, perfecting my entire look takes longer than a mere fifteen minutes.” Sehun honestly doesn’t need makeup. He looks the same with or without it, but Jongin has spent so much time with him that he’s able to tell when Sehun has it on or not. Currently, he only has half of it on. It probably helps that one eye has eyeliner and the other doesn’t, though. “Plus, I bet you like seeing me half-naked.”

“I’m pretty sure you don’t even know the definition of being half-naked,” Jongin murmurs, hearing Minseok cough in the bathroom. He eyes the screen when Sehun backs up and now he can see Sehun’s torso up to his chin. “The only exposed part of you is the upper part of your chest. That’s, like, a fifth-naked.”

“A fifth-naked is still half-naked,” Sehun retorts and suddenly, Jongin gets a close up of Sehun’s shirt. “I can’t get my eyeliner to match and it’s frustrating.”

Jongin is pretty sure Sehun never liked math in school—from what he’s told—, so he doesn’t even argue with him about that logic. He simply watches as Sehun moves around in what he guesses is the bathroom because he really is taking a long time getting ready. Jongin clicks his tongue before looking to his own bathroom where Minseok is getting ready. “Are we leaving soon? I’m pretty sure we’re going to arrive there way before Sehun and Junmyeon,” he says. He hears Sehun’s indignant squawk.

“Yeah, I’m just touching up my hair,” Minseok calls back. “Stop being gross on the phone.”

Jongin has no idea how he’s being gross on the phone when all he can see is Sehun’s side on his phone screen. They’re not even talking, but he can hear Sehun snort in response to Minseok. “We can be gross, but then I’d be fully naked and we’d miss our event to impress the world,” he says, loud enough for Minseok to hear and groan in response.

“Why are you like this?” Jongin whines. He hears Sehun’s laugh and sees his body shaking and he can’t help but smile at that. “I’m going to go. I’ll see you there.”

“Fashionably late,” Sehun adds on, popping back into the screen and giving him his cutest grin. Jongin is weak to happy crescent eyes and that cute grin. He wants to kiss him. “Bye, boyfriend.”

Jongin bites his lip to try and stop smiling so much. “Bye,” he murmurs, before they end their call and he can even think to respond, ‘as always,’ to Sehun’s ‘fashionably late.’ His phone blacks out and he finally looks up to see Minseok giving him a disapproving look.

“Gross.”

Jongin gapes.

But Sehun _is_ cute.

A damn weak spot.

 

 

The red carpet is a two-hour long ordeal. Jongin logs into Baekhyun’s twitter account to see all the trending hashtags for the event. There are plenty of photos and random texts he can’t really understand and he hums when he recognizes a few of the faces attending the show. That should be fun for the reception. He can catch up with them with the limited English he still can’t verbally communicate with. He looks up when he feels the car turn only to tune into Minseok speaking broken French and English to their driver. He’s surprised to hear the driver speak back in broken Korean.

He sees his phone light back up after blacking out and he glances down to see Baekhyun is texting him.

Baekhyun

> i know you’re on my account  
>  checking out what you’re going into?  
>  i heard it’s a mild enough event  
>  it should be okay  
>  minseok will keep watch over you  
>  OH RIGHT I FORGOT ABOUT SEHUN  
>  yeah that might be a bit of a shocker  
>  but tbh i’m surprised you two haven’t been to many events where you two are present together  
>  i guess the world is in denial of having two of the hottest men on earth being at the same place at the same time  
>  yeah that’s right  
>  i called you hot  
>  tell minseok he better be wearing that one grey suit that makes him look sexy  
>  i purposely put it in his suitcase and removed everything else but pajamas to make sure he wore it

“Sweet Jesus, Minseok,” Jongin hisses, watching as his phone tries to keep up with all the messages.

“What?”

Baekhyun

> please tell me he wore it  
>  he looks so hot in it  
>  he still won’t sleep with me  
>  what’s wrong with me  
>  is it my body  
>  because i’ve been working out with him and i can tell you i’m not lacking anYWHERE  
>  not anymore at least  
>  and it shouldn’t be my face  
>  my face is gorgeous  
>  look at my friends, we’re all gorgeous

“Please, message back your favorite colleague. He’s sending me a novel of text messages. Send him a picture of you in your outfit. You took a picture of yourself in the hotel, right?”

Baekhyun

> jongin, i’m so bored when all my friends are overseas  
>  seulgi and joohyun are here but i’m pretty sure joohyun hates me  
>  idk why  
>  i’m fun to be around like 99% of the time  
>  then again she could just hate that 1% of me and that outweighs everything

Jongin frowns, “Why are they all bad at math?” But this helps pass the time.

Baekhyun

> joohyun is hot too  
>  actually so is seulgi  
>  oh maybe that’s why joohyun hates me  
>  but it’s not like i’m actually actively trying to date either of them

At that, Jongin has to respond back. He instantly swipes and opens up his messages to try and beat Baekhyun before he continues his story.

Baekhyun

> i mean, i tried to date joohyun that one time until i found out she only got wet for seulgi  
>  so i guess that’s fair that she kinda hates me

Jongin

> What’s wrong with you?  
>  Also, but it’s not like you’re trying to actively date anyone now?  
>  Aren’t you just wanting to get into Minseok’s pants?  
>  Which is gross btw but seriously.

Baekhyun

> why you gotta put the random period

“Jongin, we’re here,” Minseok announces. When Jongin looks up, he’s waving his phone at him. “I also texted him. All he’s responding with are a bunch of emojis.”

Baekhyun

> MINSEOK IS SO ATTRACTIVE I DON’T KNOW IF I WANNA POUND THAT ASS OR RIDE HIM UNTIL I FAINT

Before they pull up to the red carpet, Jongin quickly sends a message back. He really doesn’t want that image to get stuck in his head.

Sehun

> Why is Baekhyun texting me saying Minseok is hot and I should appreciate Baekhyun’s fashion choice for him?

Jongin literally slaps his thigh in favor of slapping his own forehead.

Jongin

> First of all, I can’t believe you texted Sehun too  
>  Second of all, I didn’t need that image in my head. Go sleep with someone else to pass the time.

Jongin

> Please, ignore him. Hurry up. Maybe we’ll end up sitting together

“Jongin,” Minseok warns, before he exits the car first.

At the call of his name, Jongin immediately slips his cell phone into his inside jacket pocket. He scoots over the littlest bit to check his image in the rearview mirror, and then Minseok is opening his car door. He slides over enough to glance out and smile when he sees camera flashes going off.

He leaves Minseok with the driver as he takes his place at the beginning of the red carpet. There’s a fleeting touch along his back he knows belongs to Minseok and he takes that as his cue to go forward. It’s practically a sensory overload, where it’s continuous flashes and a dozen different languages spoken by different reporters. Jongin is never entirely sure where to completely focus on. Though, he figures it’s simply the same process over and over again. Walk forward, pause where he’s told to still for photos, then walk forward some more until he’s inside the venue. All he needs to do is pay attention to all the cues given by the staff members and look good.

Something catches his attention from the corners of his eyes. It looks like someone waving—much slower and calmer compared to all the fans behind all the photographers—and it takes Jongin a good second to recognize who’s trying to greet him. He’s pretty sure his eyes light up because his friend looks happier now, hand falling to his side. He hasn’t seen Yixing in a couple of years. He needs to find him again when they’re all inside.

The entire process takes a little more than an hour. It really isn’t a long distance to the venue, but it takes forever when they all have to walk at a certain pace and pause at specific locations for photos and to keep the line moving as smoothly as possible. He doesn’t even get a chance to see Sehun out there. He doesn’t hear the high-pitched screams or see his boyfriend dancing around other models because he’s always hated waiting unnecessarily for long periods of time.

“Welcome, sir,” a staff member greets. Jongin smiles at him and nods his head. The venue looks nice on the inside. Shades of purple and blue decorate it and it gives a nice, dreamy atmosphere along with the orchids they’ve included in the layout. “I’ll show you to your seat.”

Jongin glances around to the other guests and they’re all standing around, talking to each other. He follows after the staff member until he’s at the other side of the room in the front row. He’s surprised to see Yixing standing there talking to another female model he recognizes from the Vogue cover spread a couple of months ago.

“The show will start in thirty minutes, roughly, but this seat is reserved for you.”

Jongin looks to his seat where there’s a pamphlet on the cushion and he nods again before the staff member leaves. He searches for any nameplates or cards and he flicks his tongue on the roof of his mouth when he doesn’t see any.

“Jongin? Jongin!”

The moment Jongin turns at the call of his name, arms are wrapped around his own in the form of a tight hug. He laughs at hearing his old friend’s voice. “Hey, Yixing. It’s been a long time,” he greets, bringing his arms up to return the gesture.

“It has been, right?” When Yixing pulls away, Jongin can clearly see the eyeshadow and eyeliner that adorns his eyes. It gives him a more mature appeal, a sexier one despite how clear and bright his eyes are, and Jongin smiles when Yixing reaches up to lightly scratch a cheek but stops midway. “I still don’t like them caking on so much makeup on me.”

Jongin laughs at that, reaching out to pat his shoulder. “I know you don’t. It just can’t be helped though.” He eyes his makeup once more but with the outfit included this time. “Your appearance looks nice this time though. It fits the atmosphere of this event.” He looks to his own outfit, “Yeah, not bad.”

Yixing shrugs, “I guess. I’m still not used to it, though. Modeling isn’t my thing.”

And that’s true. Yixing is originally a singer and a producer. He was just thrust into the modeling scene to help promote his image, musically and physically, but somehow, he’s gained ten times more fans because of it. Jongin doesn’t really understand it, but the way they met was through Yixing’s first attendance of a modeling show and he looked clueless until Jongin spoke to him in a language he understood more comfortably.

“Oh, Sehun is here, too?”

Jongin immediately turns his head in the direction Yixing is looking at. True to his word, he can see Sehun clearly entering the venue and following a different staff member to his seat. Sehun is looking around curiously and Jongin feels his heart start to race when he realizes they’re walking in their direction. He’s pretty sure his heart rate has jumped up twenty beats when he and Sehun actually make eye-contact. “Yeah,” he breathes, sees Yixing move forward and past him out of the corners of his eyes. “I heard he was attending this show, too.”

“Sehun!” Yixing greets. He’s always so happy to see any of his friends. Jongin adores him. “I didn’t know you were going to be here too.”

“Same here. It was a last minute addition to my schedule. How are you, Yixing? You look amazing.”

Jongin lets them talk until the show starts. He catches Sehun’s gaze every now and then, even as he starts talking to the female model Yixing was talking with before, and he hopes they don’t give anything away. He knows they all have fans inside the event, or at least photographers wanting to catch something that seems off to them, and oh— Sehun is laughing and smiling at something Yixing is saying, but he glances at him too and Jongin feels weak in the knees.

“I am assuming you and Sehun know each other, then,” the female model murmurs. She’s leaning in close so nobody else can hear them and it shocks Jongin into facing her quickly. His heart races for a different reason, but then he sees the small smile on her face like she knows a secret he doesn’t. “You two have gone to shows before, but I’ve never seen you two interact like this.”

“To be honest,” Jongin speaks without even thinking. “We haven’t really interacted at all.” At least, not in this event, yet. He refuses to glance back at him.

“Ah,” she says, smile growing. “Reporters would have a field day if they find out Korea’s Hottest Bachelor is actually a taken man.”

Jongin knows what she’s trying to get at and he doesn’t like it. “What are you talking about?” he asks, tilting his head and quirking an eyebrow at her. “Sehun?”

She nods, humming. “Sehun is Korea’s Hottest Bachelor, but most of the models in the industry already know you and Seulgi aren’t together.” At least, she isn’t beating around the bush now. “With the way you two keep glancing at each other, I’m sure there’s more to the picture than you’re allowing all of us to see.” She winks at him then. “I’ve been in this business for as long as you have or more. I can catch subtle hints.”

Without meaning to, Jongin scoffs. “I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”

“Maybe I’m not even saying anything,” she answers. She shrugs, “Or maybe I’m saying a lot.”

“Jongin—”

Jongin looks over his shoulder at the call of his name. Both Yixing and Sehun are looking at him, but he’s pretty sure it was Yixing who called his name. They don’t say anything for a few seconds though. They only stare at him and it’s starting to confuse him until the emcee for the event calls their attentions and requests them to take their seats. Jongin shouldn’t be surprised that Sehun is actually sitting right next to him, with Yixing on his free side.

The show goes on as any other. Other models walk down the runway displaying the new designs and themes for the season and Jongin eyes each outfit attentively. Some of them catches his eye, so he tries to make a mental note of it. He likes discussing them with Minseok whenever they get back to the hotel. It helps pass the time, but it also helps adjust his wardrobe to try and incorporate how some of the clothes are arranged.

Before he knows it, the show is coming to an end. He immediately turns to Sehun when they all start to applaud the staff and models who performed this event. “The sixth outfit, do you remember it?” he asks. He looks back to the stage and smiles as he gets up along with the others, claps with them. He leans over when he hears Sehun speak to him.

“The one with the jacket adorned with gold embroidery,” he answers, voice soft. “That one was beautiful.”

“Do you think it would be appropriate for me to purchase it whenever it hits the shops?” Jongin smiles politely at Yixing before turning his attention back to Sehun, all the attendees doing the same and turning to discuss the show with each other. He sees Sehun eye him up and down and he laughs. “Sehun.”

“You should purchase it,” Sehun answers with his own smile, amused. “The gold would accentuate your skin tone, especially with the new highlighter you bought. That does wonders for your cheekbones.”

Jongin snorts, though he can’t keep the smile off of his face. “You know I don’t wear makeup regularly. I only bought it because you sent me the link for it.”

“And I’m glad you _did_ buy it.” Sehun’s voice goes even softer and Jongin has to lean in to actually hear him, tilt his head so Sehun can speak directly in his ear. “I wanna do your makeup when we get back home.”

It makes Jongin throw his head back and laugh. He doesn’t even realize Yixing has joined in on their conversation until he can calm himself back down. “Well, you have free reign,” he answers in turn, giving Yixing another smile. “Hey, Yixing. Did you see any outfits you liked?”

“Oh, I really liked the nineteenth one, the one with the purple stitching and gold accents.”

“Royalty,” Sehun comments before Jongin can, but Jongin notices the way Yixing is staring at each of them curiously. “As it should be for a king like you.”

Yixing has the audacity to turn pink at Sehun’s words, but it’s definitely not wrong. With the way Yixing works himself, Jongin practically considers Yixing a king of China too. “Enough with that,” Yixing mumbles, raising a hand and trying to shoo away the words. “I didn’t know you two were so close.” He switches to Korean and Jongin is thankful because that other female model definitely doesn’t know that language. “I know I’m missing something here.”

Jongin doesn’t know what to say, but he guesses he can always leave it up to Sehun because Sehun is suddenly wrapping a hand gently around his arm and coming in close before he lets go just as quickly and takes a step away from him.

It doesn’t click to Yixing right away and Jongin feels his heart race as he leans in to personally tell their friend, “We’re dating.” And to his credit, Yixing doesn’t make a big scene out of it. His mouth simply falls open in understanding before he nods and smiles, eyes each of them again.

“I can see that,” he murmurs, nodding once more. “Wow, yeah. When did that happen? I’m guessing a while now. What about those reports about you and Seulgi? Although, I know that’s not true in the slightest. I feel like you two would end up arguing way more if you got married.”

Jongin scoffs then, “Please. Seulgi and I are like family.”

“And that’s why you two will end up arguing more than anything else!” Yixing explains.

There’s a moment where Jongin and Sehun simply stare at their friend, but he isn’t wrong. He’s pretty sure he and Seulgi would end up arguing more than anything else if they ended up dating and then getting married. He shivers at the thought of that and he can hear Sehun snort at the action. “Oh, shut up,” he mutters to him, before he pouts at Yixing.

“Don’t pout at me,” Yixing instantly scolds. He rolls his eyes and Jongin frowns instead. “This is going to be a long night if you end up pouting at me and you two end up making this an event the reporters can’t miss.”

“Why is everyone saying that?” Jongin stresses. He looks to Sehun for support, but he can tell Sehun is simply stressing out about it internally. It’s in the way his boyfriend’s shoulders appear tight, uncomfortable, and he wants to pull him into a hug to comfort him. He frowns, then, quietly, “Sehun, relax. I’m right here.”

Sehun nods, breathes, “Yeah.”

And suddenly, Yixing is fitting himself between them and wrapping arms around their backs. He guides them into the next room over where the reception is being held. “Come on, you two. I’m right here too,” he says gently, squeezing their sides briefly. “I’ll try and help watch over you two.”

Jongin doesn’t know how he can thank him.

 

 

Jongin can’t help falling into Sehun’s side when he laughs. He can’t help leaning into Sehun when they simply stand there and sip on their champagne as they talk to everyone else. He can’t help the soft smile that falls on his lips when he catches Yixing staring at them with a fond look in his eyes. He can’t help tracing out the ring on his necklace when he feels Sehun keep him close the entire night. He can’t help falling a little more in love with Sehun, because their lives simply meld together like it’s always meant to be that way.

 

 

Nothing happens after that. They separate and go home, Jongin texts Sehun how much he wants to kiss him, and Sehun sends a bunch of laughing emojis and says it’s because Jongin had a glass too many of alcohol to be texting straight. Jongin misses him though and he feels mildly apologetic when Minseok is the one who has to nurse Jongin in bed early the next morning.

It’s only when it’s the afternoon that he and his manager get out of the hotel. They planned to spend the day relaxing and enjoying the views so that’s what they do. They make plans to meet up with Yixing for a late lunch and then they make plans to meet up with Sehun for dinner because it shouldn’t be so bad if they’re in a group and they’ve met up with somebody else as well. The only problem is that Jongin is sitting across from Sehun and Sehun is so unfairly handsome, Jongin can’t help sliding his leg out further until he can rest his ankle against Sehun’s.

“Try some of this,” Sehun suddenly says. He twirls some pasta onto his fork before holding it out for Jongin to eat and Minseok chokes on his glass of wine. “It’s good,” Sehun reasons, and there’s a teasing smile on his lips. Jongin loves him.

When Jongin leans forward and opens his mouth, Sehun pushes his fork forward some more until Jongin can eat it all and he hums. “It is good,” he confirms, eyeing his boyfriend’s meal before looking to his own. “I probably should’ve gotten that too.”

“Oh, you know you’re not supposed to eat that,” Minseok chastises. It only makes Sehun and Junmyeon laugh. “Your body isn’t like Sehun’s and you know that.”

Almost immediately, Jongin groans, “I completely forgot.” He pouts at Sehun then. “Stop tempting me.”

“It’s not my fault you’re easy to tempt,” Sehun says with a shrug, though he holds out more of his food for Jongin to eat. “Just work out some more when we get back home.”

“But I’m lazy,” Jongin whines. He continues to eat off of Sehun’s fork though. “This is really good. I’ve been deprived of good food.”

“Please, you’ve been on your crazy diet for a year now. That’s not my fault. I’m just trying to keep you on it,” Minseok says.

When Jongin looks over to argue with his manager, he catches a glimpse of some fans giggling and holding out their phones in their direction. He tries to avoid looking at them directly, but his heart stops for a moment when he realizes what’s going on. It only takes a split second for him to react, reaching out to hold Sehun’s hand and link their fingers together briefly, before he whispers, “There are some fans over there.” He squeezes Sehun’s hand gently to keep his attention on him, though he sees Junmyeon turn to see where the fans are. “I hate this.”

The tension in Sehun’s face bleeds aways as he laughs. The stress lines fade away and he shakes his head. With his fork, he reaches out and grabs some of the food on Jongin’s plate before eating it. “I thought I was the stressed one about this,” he murmurs.

“I thought so too,” Jongin confesses, feels the heat creep up his ears and cheeks. “But I feel ten times more stressed now.”

“Would you break up with me if news broke out about us?” Sehun asks. He’s holding onto Jongin’s hand tight, and that’s the only indication Jongin knows Sehun is as nervous about this as he is. “Would you break up with me if we receive negative comments about us?”

“No,” Jongin answers. He can’t stop staring into Sehun’s eyes. “It would take actually falling out of love with you for me to break up with you.”

“And would that happen if this entire ordeal turns south?”

Jongin thinks about it. He really takes the time to work through it all in his head, because Sehun deserves it and everything good in this world. “I actually think I’m falling more in love with you every day,” he murmurs. It’s all he can think about, even when they start to argue. He hates the moment, but then it helps them mature because they choose to work through it together, though they do end up giving each other the silent treatment for a day or two.

The smile that blooms on Sehun’s face is the one Jongin lives for every day. “Good,” Sehun murmurs, “Because the media will probably hate us, but I won’t.” He bites his lip then and he’s _adorable_. “I love you.”

Jongin can’t help pulling on Sehun’s hand until he can kiss the back of it, whispering, “I love you, too.”

“My god,” Minseok groans, causing Junmyeon to laugh. “You two are so gross. Cut it out.”

“We’ll see if the world ends up loving or hating you by next week,” Junmyeon adds on, still laughing. “Now, finish your food so we can go walk this all off.”

 

 

“Well, according to fans on Twitter, most of them are surprised and they love you,” Baekhyun informs them over the phone. He’s on speaker and Jongin can’t help pacing around his hotel room with Sehun holding the phone. Their managers are sitting on the beds checking their own phones. “News reporters are having a field day, as expected, but nothing has been said as a response from our company or Sehun’s. So, of course, all that’s written is speculation without any confirmation whatsoever.”

They all hear a ding and Junmyeon holds his phone out that shows an article with the headline: _Forget Jongin and Seulgi — What are Jongin and Sehun?!_

“I just sent Junmyeon the link to one of the better articles I’ve seen on the internet. It isn’t much, but it’s saying how some fans are upset and angry. They think Sehun broke up Jongin and Seulgi to have Jongin for himself, but others are saying that Jongin and Seulgi have never been a thing because they haven’t really been seen outside of events much. I guess that’s your only saving grace though.”

Jongin doesn’t like it. He doesn’t like the public thinking negatively of Sehun.

“Some others are saying that Jongin is unfaithful, but then his fans are defending him saying that he’s loyal to a fault. He’s genuine and I’m guessing that’s what’s saving your ass right now. It’s a good thing you did all those Instagram lives and interviews in the past.”

They all hear Baekhyun sigh, which leads to Junmyeon groaning and Minseok collapsing back onto his bed. Their managers’ phones are thrown to the sides and Sehun takes that as his cue to sit on the edge of Jongin’s bed, still holding the phone in his hand. There are stress lines all over his face and Jongin instantly makes his way over to him. He wraps his arms around Sehun’s shoulders when his forehead falls against his stomach.

“I don’t know. All-in-all, I think reporters are fifty-fifty and fans are seventy-thirty. Some people are even trying to get in touch with Seulgi and Joohyun to get their comments about all of this, but knowing them, they’re probably busy getting in each other’s pants than meddling with this.”

“Please, I bet you’re just wishing you were in Joohyun’s pants instead,” Jongin retorts without even thinking, earning scoffs from everyone else in the room.

Baekhyun laughs, “I honestly want in more on Minseok’s pants than theirs, but, you know, I’ll take whatever I can get.”

At that, Minseok groans, loud and annoyed. “Will you stop that?” he exclaims, sitting up and glaring at the phone in Sehun’s hand. “Everybody and their mothers know by now you want to have sex with me.”

“It’s not my fault you’re unfairly attractive!”

The way they bicker reminds Jongin of an old, married couple. It’s amusing, but he knows that’s not really what’s important right now. He looks down to Sehun where he can see his roots growing in and disrupting the bleach of his hair and he cards fingers through it. He can feel Sehun relax against him the longer he does it and he waits until Sehun finally puts the phone down beside him on the bed before he takes a step back to kneel down in front of Sehun instead.

“Hey,” Jongin whispers, reaching out to cup Sehun’s face in his hands. He leans forward when Sehun closes his eyes and tilts his head forward, quietly meeting him in the middle for a kiss. He doesn’t exactly know what to say.

So, they fall silent. Jongin simply kneels there, cradling Sehun’s face, and places a gentle kiss to his forehead. He hears Sehun’s pleased hum and he pulls back far enough to stare into his eyes. There’s a soft kindness to Sehun’s expression and it’s enough for Jongin to collapse onto the ground, to fall into Sehun’s lap and loosely wrap his arms around his boyfriend’s waist. It makes Sehun chuckle and he responds by pushing his face into his stomach.

“It’s going to be fine, you two,” Junmyeon quietly says. He’s tossed the cell phone to Minseok to scoot closer to them on the bed and Jongin can feel Sehun lean back until he’s probably leaning into Junmyeon’s shoulder, too. “The world is crazy if they won’t accept both of you.”

Jongin isn’t sure, but it helps. Junmyeon’s words help and so do the fingers carding through his hair.

“It really is,” Baekhyun suddenly pipes up. When Jongin finally pulls free to look around Sehun’s side, he bursts into laughter at seeing Minseok’s red face as he holds the phone back up for them to hear. “Mainly, fans are appreciating the possibility of a new ship, reporters are trying to figure out what the hell is going on, and our companies are trying to come up with a reasonable conclusion that doesn’t make them sound like asses. It’s great.”

Jongin frowns. “Aren’t you our PR person? Don’t you have a say in what is actually said to the reporters?”

“Exactly,” Baekhyun chimes. “It’s great for me, because whatever they say, I’m probably going to change it up a bit.”

Sehun snorts, “‘A bit,’ he says.”

Baekhyun returns to talking to their managers and Jongin tunes them all out. He focuses on Sehun and the way he’s trying to nudge him to look up at him instead. “It’s just a moment that’ll fade with time,” he murmurs. He pokes his nose and Jongin smiles at him. “It’s like any other moment, right? Everything is gonna suck one way or another.”

“I guess we just have to get used to it,” Jongin murmurs back, before he leans down to kiss the top of Sehun’s thigh. _It’s going to be fine_.

 _It’s going to be fine_.

 

 

In all honesty, Jongin thought Paris wasn’t all that bad. He’s already been there a few times, but he still doesn’t really see the true appeal of it. It’s a place associated with romance, but it isn’t a whole dawning of ‘ _this is where I should confess my all-time love for my all-time favorite person because this is what’s been hardwired into our brains for as long as I can remember_.’” He doesn’t understand it, though he knows it makes people happy and that’s all that matters.

“Jongin, I’m sorta terrified to go on Instagram or turn on the tv,” Sehun calls out.

Jongin looks away from where he’s attempting to fix his clothes back into his closet. Sehun isn’t in the room with him anymore but the door is open and he can hear Sehun fiddling with something in the living room.

“I’m going crazy. Where are Junmyeon and Minseok?”

When Jongin finally makes it to wherever Sehun is, he finds him pacing the living room. He’s rearranging random objects and making his way for the remote before detouring to the couch and fluffing the pillows even more than necessary. It looks like they’re brand new by how much he’s been messing with them.

“Jongin, I don’t know what to do,” Sehun breathes. His eyes are wide and terrified. Jongin doesn’t hesitate in pulling Sehun into a hug before tugging him down onto the couch with him. They land with Sehun on his lap and his face buried in Jongin’s neck.

Jongin relaxes then, tilts his head to kiss Sehun behind the ear. “Sometimes, it helps to keep busy,” he offers. Sehun’s lips are soft on his neck but it’s the small nod he’s waiting for. “We can put on a movie to distract us. I don’t know how many times I can rearrange my closet.”

“Let’s watch something good,” Sehun mumbles. He pulls away only to kiss Jongin on the lips and Jongin can’t help but smile into it. He slips a hand under Sehun’s shirt on his back and feels Sehun sigh into him. “I just want to relax. Let’s watch _Avengers_ or something.”

“We can do that,” Jongin whispers. He can’t stop kissing Sehun. His boyfriend is addicting and he understands why he’s called Korea’s Hottest Bachelor. He sighs when he feels Sehun clutch onto his shoulders, Jongin tilting until he can lay Sehun down on his back on the couch. He presses into him, listens for Sehun’s soft moan, and he smiles when Sehun does when they won’t stop kissing.

“I think I’d rather have you,” Sehun confesses, but then he sighs, lets his head fall back onto the cushion. “But I’m pretty sure the sex won’t be stellar on my end. I still need to unwind.”

Jongin laughs at that. He leans down to place a kiss on Sehun’s neck before he moves to get the remote to find the newest Marvel release. “Sex with you is always spectacular,” he offers, laughing some more when Sehun kicks him in the side. “I’m just saying. You have a hot body.”

“Well, thanks for the flattery,” Sehun quips. “It does wonders for my ego.”

“It better.” Jongin jumps up to avoid another kick before he finds the movie and turns it on. He drops the remote onto the coffee table before he falls back and lets Sehun stretch his legs out on his thighs. “How many times have we seen this movie already?” he asks, absentmindedly massaging Sehun’s calves. “I’m pretty sure I’ve already seen this thrice.”

Sehun hums, “I think it’s my second time.”

Jongin mimics his hum before they fall silent again. Although, when it’s the two of them and they’ve already seen the movie at least once, they end up commenting about it throughout the entire thing. They talk about the actors, actresses, and scenes and Jongin snorts when Sehun makes a comment about Tony Stark. “I still don’t know who your favorite is,” he mentions, glancing over to see Sehun laying on his side comfortably, a pillow tucked under his head. The colors from the screen reflect across his skin and Jongin hums as he reaches out to slip a hand underneath the back of Sehun’s shirt again.

“Yeah, I don’t know either,” Sehun answers. He doesn’t move from his spot but Jongin doesn’t expect him to. He simply returns to watching the movie and listening to Sehun’s commentary. “Honestly, I still don’t understand why they couldn’t just punch him in the face for ruining the fate of the entire world.”

“Me either,” Jongin mutters, feeling anger flaring up again at the thought of the scene that just passed. “He’s really stupid. I would’ve blasted him onto another planet.”

“I’m glad we came to the conclusion to basically destroy him because of his dumb decisions.”

Jongin laughs, “Aren’t we a dangerous duo?”

“Damn right,” Sehun mutters, but when Jongin glances at him, Sehun is smiling at him too. “Hottie boyfriend trying to be a badass.”

“Oh my god, I hate you,” Jongin laughs out. He doesn’t move from his spot though. He’s comfy and Sehun looks comfy right where they are. “Stop bringing that up.”

Sehun laughs, “What? Your dual personality on and off from work?” He turns then, moves a leg and squeezes it behind Jongin’s back against the couch. “Come on, that’s kinda hot. I still don’t know how you do it.”

Jongin isn’t sure either, but he knows it just comes easily to him. He shrugs before he puckers his lips out for an air kiss. He cackles when Sehun just kicks him with his free leg instead.

“I take that back. You’re gross,” Sehun whines.

“As I’ve been saying, thank you very much.”

They both jump at the new voice. Sehun sits up the exact moment Jongin looks over his shoulder and they see MInseok and Junmyeon standing there looking like they’ve aged ten more years. Jongin searches once more, “Where’s Baekhyun?”

Junmyeon sighs as he runs fingers through his hair. “He’s still trying to schedule other meetings and everything.” He leaves for the kitchen before anyone can say anything else and that worries Jongin more than Minseok giving them a small smile.

“They’re both just stressed. Apparently, your appearance with Sehun at the show didn’t even really matter much,” Minseok explains. “It’s more of your appearance when we all ate out that drew the companies’ attentions. I’m sorry, but we had to explain that you two are in fact in a relationship. We know it wasn’t our place to say—”

“That’s fine,” Jongin interrupts, though they both know he would’ve preferred to tell their bosses instead. “It’s fine.”

“But they kept hounding us for answers,” Minseok finishes with a small smile. “Anyways, it seems to be working in our favor since most of your fans appreciate the gestures. Baekhyun is working on scheduling a short press conference for tomorrow, so he wants each of you to contact him with what he’s allowed to say. Anything else will have to come at a later time.” He sniffs the air then, “Bless, Junmyeon. Thanks for the coffee.”

Jongin can’t even smell the coffee yet.

“We both need it,” Junmyeon calls back.

Minseok frowns, “Yeah, apparently, it’s working so well in our favor that you two have a new schedule coming up in a couple of days after Baekhyun works with Sehun’s PR rep and releases the news. The companies want to see how this will go and if it’ll widen your reputations and recognitions.”

Jongin looks to Sehun at that. He can see Sehun thinking it over in his head and he sighs as he turns back to watch the movie.

“This might suck,” Sehun murmurs. He flops back onto the couch before getting back into his previous position and, well, he’s not wrong. Jongin can hear Minseok sigh before walking away. “This might really suck.”

“At least I’ll see you more,” Jongin says with a shrug. He smiles when Sehun reaches out and pokes his arm.

“Now, we _have_ to make effort to look twice as good.”

Jongin laughs, “It’s going to be _painful_.”

 

 

And true to their friends’ words, Baekhyun only releases words that he and Sehun have told him. He doesn’t say anything less and nothing more and Jongin has to squeeze Sehun’s hand to help keep himself grounded.

Minseok and Junmyeon have kept them separated since then until their next schedule and even then, their next schedule takes place at the larger mall in the city. There’s a brand new opening that’ll contain clothes that they both endorse and Jongin is surprised to see how much word gets out about their appearance.

Some hashtag trends the day of the event and Jongin can’t stop scrolling through Baekhyun’s twitter trying to see everything that’s happening before their arrival. Sehun isn’t with him now, but Jongin sends screenshots of what he’s seen so far that seems the most important. It’s scary and exciting all at once.

Sehun

> At least it looks like we’re getting out of this event alive  
>  It’d be a tragedy to die so soon

Jongin

> It’ll be fine  
>  I’ll literally be right there next to you

Sehun

> I hate you  
>  But, yeah, that helps  
>  Love you

Jongin smiles at the message before he puts his phone to sleep. He tries to relax before they arrive and he can’t stop the way his nerves are exploding all over the place when they drive through the streets next to the mall and see hundreds of people lining it trying to catch a glimpse of them. It stresses him out and he sends a quick message to Sehun because— _I can’t do this_.

Sehun

> We’re in this together

—is all Sehun responds with and Jongin chants it in his head. He chants it as they pull up to the back of the mall to go through the back entrance and he chants it as Minseok opens his door and leads him through the throngs of people trying to get closer to him. He tries to keep his head leveled so he doesn’t appear anything less than okay, but it’s hard when all he wants to do is stare down at his shoes and avoid every eye contact he comes across. He leans in close when Minseok puts a hand on his lower back and guides him quickly inside.

The air is warm. Jongin feels heated and that’s not a good thing when they’re about to be swamped in stage lights at the opening. He whispers to Minseok that he needs water and he follows after him when he leaves his side. There aren’t as many fans where they are, but he knows it won’t take long. Most of them don’t actively speak to him and he’s grateful for that.

“Drink as much as you need,” Minseok murmurs. He has another water bottle in his hand. “When you’re ready, we’ll make our way over.”

In a moment like this, Jongin is glad Minseok is his manager. Minseok may be small and appear slight, but he’s truly strong and has such a great presence, it makes others back away immediately if he even takes one glance at them. He’s not exactly sure how it’s like for Sehun and Junmyeon, but he hopes it’s the same. None of them should feel like their personal space is being invaded the slightest bit.

With another long gulp and a sigh, Jongin tries to clear his head. He closes his eyes and imagines his family, his friends, and Sehun. He envisions what his life would be like without this job and he also believes it’s the best decision he’s ever made. He thinks about Seulgi and Joohyun and hope they’re doing okay and he thinks about what his future could possibly hold, especially if things end badly within the next hour. He thinks about Sehun, and he feels ready.

“Let’s go and get this over with,” Jongin mutters, opening his eyes to see Minseok’s amused smile at him. But when Minseok speaks, his voice is soft, gentle.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

 

 

The population of the mall increases the closer Jongin approached the new store. There were families with small children before younger adults, and now there are hundreds of teenagers mixing in and Jongin thinks about the clouds in the sky today, the way the river looked calmer than normal when they drove over it. He thinks to the street vendors where they sell his favorite snacks when he gets to walk around late at night and cheat on his diet and he thinks and thinks until he makes it to the side entrance of the store. He enters it without a second thought and releases the breath he didn’t know he was holding when he sees Sehun standing there, wearing a new outfit that’s being promoted on a mannequin in the center in the shop. He can see Junmyeon nudging his boyfriend and Sehun looks so handsome.

“Please, wear this outfit,” someone suddenly says. It takes a second for Jongin to look down and see an older woman holding out an outfit for him. “This is for one of our promotional outfits. Your managers have requested you wear something that matches Sehun’s over there and this is the complementary outfit to the one in the mannequin over there.”

Jongin stares at the outfit before looking over and seeing there’s actually another mannequin standing next to the one wearing Sehun’s outfit. “Okay,” he answers, looking back to her and letting her place the clothes on his outstretched arms.

“The changing room is in the back,” she informs, walking back with him and Minseok until they’re outside of it. “Please, hurry.”

It doesn’t take long to change outfits at all. Jongin does this for a living, so he’s out and standing next to Sehun within ten minutes. Curtains cover the front of the store, so there’s no way to see inside and Jongin takes the moment to try and sigh out all the nerves taking over his body. He reaches for Sehun’s hand and finds comfort in the way they instantly lace their fingers together.

“I don’t know how I appear more composed than you,” Sehun says. There’s a hint of amusement in his tone, but Jongin can hear the shakiness in it. He’s looking at the curtains and Jongin just wants to turn away. “You look good.”

Jongin releases a scoff before he can stop himself. “You haven’t even looked at me ever since I got out of the changing rooms.” He smiles when Sehun finally tilts his head in his direction. He doesn’t even eye his outfit.

“You always look good. Don’t deny it.”

“Does it seem wrong to want to kiss you into next week?” Jongin suddenly whispers, biting his lip when Sehun laughs and shakes his hand in the process. “I can’t believe you’re so attractive.”

“Okay, I’m going to stop you right there,” Minseok calls out. He’s pointing a finger in their direction from where he’s standing with the store owner and Junmyeon and he’s frowning, heavily. “I didn’t hear what you said at first, but any flirting will have to wait until the event is over.”

“Oh, they’re actually adorable,” the store owner comments. She’s tilting her head at them like she’s appraising them, glancing back and forth between them and the mannequin. “This will work.”

Jongin doesn’t know what she’s talking about, but they wait until she says it’s time. They separate. Jongin takes a step away from Sehun while their managers watch from behind and they all watch as the owner gives each of them a look before her employees open the curtains. Within seconds, there are millions of flashes and screaming girls and Jongin feels another sensory overload as he and Sehun are gestured to move forward.

“I hope you don’t mind,” the owner whispers to each of them, “but I was discussing it with your managers. If you could do a short fansign for a few lucky fans, I would appreciate it. We have promotional postcards we had planned to give out today.”

Instantly, Jongin looks to Sehun before making a decision. Although, he already knows what he wants to do. He wants to make sure Sehun does too. He tries to stop the smile forming on his face when Sehun glances back at him and smiles.

“Of course,” Jongin answers. The professional side of him takes over as he takes a step forward with the owner and he can see Sehun doing the same on her other side. They remain quiet as she talks and explains this new venture and opening. The reporters ask her questions and Jongin takes his time to search the crowd. He’s surprised to see Seulgi and Baekhyun standing in the middle with a hat, jacket, and glasses on. They both give him a smile and thumbs up.

It makes him smile in return before he looks over to Sehun who’s looking throughout the crowd too. He waits to see if he’s found them and he knows when he does because then he’s smiling too, glancing over at him before tilting his head down because he suddenly gets shy.

There are shrieks and screams. It comes out of nowhere and both he and Sehun look out to the crowd surprised and confused. They search the audience for answers and he gets it when he sees Seulgi and Baekhyun making exaggerated gestures with their hands along with pointing to him and Sehun.

The reporters focus their attention on both of them next and Jongin tries to not freeze at the sudden attention. They’re all asking a variety of questions asking if they’re truly dating and what of Jongin and Seulgi and if Sehun is a homewrecker, and Jongin doesn’t know what to say. He tries to avoid looking at Sehun to avoid causing a larger uproar and he’s thankful when the store owner takes control of the interview process again.

They try to avoid any more direct interactions and before they know it, the store is officially opened with a few celebrities and loyal customers wandering about inside it. Jongin and Sehun stand off to the side to allow them room first and Jongin can’t help but glance around before he leans over and slouches to be able to put his head on Sehun’s shoulder. They can hear a few screams but he doesn’t see any flashes and he hopes that’s a good thing.

With an arm wrapped around his waist, Jongin leans further into Sehun’s side. He steps closer the moment he crosses his arms in front of his chest and he feels safe. He feels relaxed and he can only hope he does the same thing to Sehun to some degree. “It doesn’t seem bad so far,” he murmurs, hearing Sehun hum in response. “Some of the clothes look really good, but I bet the prices aren’t pretty.”

“If this store has both Louis Vuitton and Gucci-brand products, the prices won’t be pretty at all,” Sehun mumbles. “Wow, it won’t be. Who will be able to afford these clothes?”

Jongin glances around and happens to see the reporters are still there. “Apparently, all the people browsing in here can afford it.” He’s tired of seeing the reporters.

“Even I know you hate spending so much on clothes unless it has bears on it,” Sehun continues on. “And stop staring at the reporters,” he whispers.

Jongin pouts but straightens up nonetheless. He turns his back to the front of the store so he’s only looking at Sehun and the cashiers near them. “It’s a good thing Gucci incorporated bears into their designs now, huh?” He smiles at Sehun and they laugh together.

“You’re cute,” Sehun murmurs and Jongin feels like he’s glowing. He glances to the side then and Jongin wonders what he sees because his boyfriend is rolling his eyes instead.

“According to baby articles, you two are a hit,” Baekhyun announces. Jongin isn’t even surprised anymore. Baekhyun is wearing a different outfit this time. He doesn’t even spare them a glance as he continues to scroll through his phone. “Keep doing your lovey-dovey gross thing. I’m pretty sure your companies will approve.”

“Please, don’t,” Minseok comments as he walks by. He’s eating a sandwich and they all gape as he goes over and gives Junmyeon his own.

Jongin immediately looks back to Baekhyun and he looks like the gods have blessed him. He laughs. “Go over there already,” he says, reaching out and pushing on Baekhyun’s shoulder. “Talk to us about our careers later.”

The way Baekhyun gulps is visible and audible; it makes both Jongin and Sehun laugh this time. “Yeah,” he breathes, nodding once. “Yeah, okay. See you later.”

This time, Sehun is the one to lean into Jongin’s side as they watch the scene unfold before them. Baekhyun is giving Minseok his space, but his gestures are animated and it’s adorable when Junmyeon offers Baekhyun a bite of his sandwich but he pouts until Minseok does it instead.

“Look at how much they’ve grown,” Sehun coos.

Jongin just laughs.

 

 

“Okay, the gala starts in four hours. Are you going to start getting ready now?”

Jongin looks up from where he’s been trying to towel dry his hair. He peeks through the ends of it to see Sehun’s reflection in the bathroom mirror and he rolls his eyes when he sees Sehun obviously eyeing him from head to toe. “I showered already, didn’t I? I’m not going to go out to intentionally smell horrible just to shower again right before the event.”

“Ouch,” Sehun says, but he laughs anyways. “I was wondering when you were going to be done with your shower, so I can start mine.”

“You could’ve joined me anyways,” Jongin answers. He jumps when he feels hands wrap around his waist from behind. “Your hands are cold.”

Sehun hums, places a kiss to the back of Jongin’s shoulder. “It only means my heart is warm.”

“Or you’re a zombie.”

“Okay, who says that? You’re so weird,” Sehun laughs, but he places another kiss to Jongin’s nape anyways. “You gonna stay in here while I shower? Don’t tell me you’re becoming as kinky as Baekhyun.”

Jongin huffs out a laugh, turning so he can lean back against the counter and pull Sehun in for another kiss. “Please, I bet Junmyeon is the kinkiest.” He laughs louder when Sehun groans and drops his head on Jongin’s shoulder.

“That’s so gross. Please, stop.”

“Okay,” Jongin sings. They stay there like that for a moment, simply breathing in each other, and Jongin finds he likes this. A lot. “Are you going to wear your new suit?” he asks, waits for Sehun’s hum.

“Thinking about it,” his boyfriend murmurs, “So, we can match.”

Jongin mimics Sehun’s hum. He likes the thought of getting ready with Sehun, of riding in the same car with Sehun, and arriving to the same event as Sehun. It feels more personal, more like they’re actually sharing a part of their lives together, and Jongin hopes the feeling is mutual. He also hopes Seulgi will finally tell the world that she’s engaged to her beautiful manager. That’d help get the remaining reporters off of their backs about whether their entire relationship with everybody is complicated or not.

“I’ll go make us a snack,” Jongin announces quietly. He feels Sehun nod before he pulls away and they share another kiss. “I’ll change properly afterwards.”

“My hottie boyfriend in only a pair of pants is so dreamy,” Sehun breathes, overly exaggerated with a loud sigh.

They burst into laughter.

“Oh, shut up,” Jongin says, pushing Sehun away. He can still hear Sehun’s laughter even after he’s left the bedroom. “Come out when you’re done!”

“Love you!”

Jongin laughs.

He can get used to this.

**Author's Note:**

> it's been a while since i've written anything and even then, real life kept getting in the way. i don't even know if this story was up to par, but i hope my recipient liked it the littlest bit ;u;
> 
>  
> 
> please ignore all grammar mistakes rip


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